


Safe to Try

by nightingalesang



Category: A Charm of Magpies Series - K. J. Charles
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Comfort, Consent, Crane is the bestest Dom, D/s, Dom/sub, Established Relationship, Impact Play, Kink Discovery, Kink Exploration, Light Dom/sub, M/M, Over the Knee, Painplay, Past Abuse, Safe Sane and Consensual, Smut, Spanking, stephen is a little shit, you can pry that from my cold dead hands
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-07
Updated: 2020-10-07
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:28:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26880688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nightingalesang/pseuds/nightingalesang
Summary: Crane was rarely reluctant to try something new in bed with Stephen. After the years they spent together, he knew his tastes well. This time, however, he genuinely couldn’t tell if it would be a successful experiment or if he would be thrown against the wall by a pissed-off shaman. But... that was the thrill. He always liked it dangerous.
Relationships: Stephen Day/Lucien Vaudrey
Comments: 6
Kudos: 46





	Safe to Try

**Author's Note:**

> The time and place of this fic are vague, let's say a few years after they left England and they are staying somewhere long enough to establish a household.

Crane was rarely reluctant to try something new in bed with Stephen. After the years they spent together, he knew his tastes well. This time, however, he genuinely couldn’t tell if it would be a successful experiment or if he would be thrown against the wall by a pissed-off shaman. But... that was the thrill. He always liked it dangerous.

He had given it a thorough consideration. He knew that Stephen liked to be manhandled and forced to submit, that he craved feeling helpless in Lucien’s hands, relished being pinned by his lover’s much stronger body. Well, it was an illusion and they both knew it. Stephen Day could kill with a single thought and could free himself at any moment. That made the matter of consent rather redundant (given Stephen didn’t have iron cuffs on his wrists) but Lucien preferred to have it anyway, even if he had to read it from his lover’s reactions.

He was especially careful with pain. The long thin scars on his arms and neck reminded him what it felt like to be tortured by a stronger and more powerful man. The unwelcome memories made him shudder every time. That had been a hell of a narrow escape and if Merrick hadn’t managed it, Crane had no illusion whatsoever that he would have eventually ended with a cut throat in the pile of rubbish behind Boghda’s stronghold like a discarded toy.

Stephen liked pain. More often than not, after they fucked, his body was decorated not only with moving tattoos but also bruises and marks from Crane’s fingers, nails and teeth. He liked to have his hair pulled, wrists held tight and hips gripped. Crane was quite sure Stephen would enjoy this as well but there was one thing that could tip the scales: while his shaman enjoyed being embarrassed to a certain degree, he hated being humiliated and that was a fine line to toe.

So Crane waited. And then one day, Stephen woke up in an incredibly bratty mood and Crane pounced.

*

Stephen wasn’t a man of leisure - nor was Crane, for that matter - and having nothing to do made him twitchy and restless. Things had been quiet lately, no horrendous magical crimes happening, so Stephen enjoyed a few cosy days with Lucien and then his mind started rebelling. His usual solution was to provoke Lucien until his dominant lover took care of him by means of rough sex, leaving him with heavy limbs and a blissfully quiet mind. Lucien could be relied on in this.

He found Lucien in the study, going through correspondence with his usual determination. Stephen plopped on the sofa and sighed loudly.

“Whatever may I do for you?” Lucien inquired, without raising his eyes from the letters. 

“I’m bored.”

“Are you? Well, I’m busy right now. Why don’t you go pester someone else? I’m sure Merrick would be delighted.”

Stephen puffed. That was not the response he wanted to hear.

“I want to be here with you.”

“Alright,” Lucien said and finally looked at him. “You can stay but you have to be quiet. I need to finish these. By the way, books from England arrived. Take a look, maybe you’ll find something that will entertain you.” He indicated a crate sitting next to his desk.

Stephen rummaged through. There were some gothic novels, Caldwell’s latest casebook and also some promising under-the-counter stories in there. But Stephen wasn’t in the mood for any of this. He grabbed one book at random and made himself comfortable on the sofa. He flipped through the pages, thinking. Well… he could always practice his skills, right?

The letters on Lucien’s desk began to move imperceptibly.

“Stephen…” Lucien’s voice held a distinct warning and Stephen closed his eyes in delight.

“What?” he said innocently.

“My papers are moving.”

“I suppose it’s draughty here. And don’t disturb me, I’m reading.”

“Very well,” Lucien smirked and resumed his work.

Stephen waited a moment then ran a tendril of etheric force through the hair on the nape of his lover’s neck. Lucien was very sensitive there and could be reduced to the purring helplessness just by Stephen’s stroking fingers.

Even now Lucien closed his eyes in pleasure and let out the tiniest of moans.

“That is a very peculiar draught,” he remarked casually.

Stephen hummed. Lucien looked directly into his eyes, his gaze dark and intent.

“You are playing with fire, Stephen. If you force me to get up from this desk, you might not like the consequences.”

Lucien’s voice was deep and serious and Stephen was acutely aware of his arousal. He believed his lover could bring him off with just talking if he set his mind to it. But now he needed more than talking. He needed rough treatment so much it made him dizzy.

So, without further ado, he directed the etheric force south, brushing Lucien’s nipples on the way. When he reached his lover’s cock, Lucien inhaled sharply and put his pen aside. He began to collect the letters into neat piles, slow and unhurried. When he was done, he stood up and moved towards the sofa, all the while keeping his eyes on Stephen’s. 

Stephen couldn’t look away, couldn’t move. He was pinned by the smouldering gaze to the sofa like a butterfly, all his restless energy transformed into arousal so intense it almost hurt. He expected to be hauled up and slammed against the wall. He expected to be flipped over and dealt with right on the sofa. Or on the rug next to it. What he did not expect was to be hauled up, thrown across Lucien’s broad shoulder and brought back to the desk on the edge of which Lucien perched himself and deposited Stephen between his knees. His hands went to the fastening of Stephen’s trousers.

“I warned you,” Lucien said and before Stephen could process it, he was bent, arse bare, over Lucien’s solid thigh with his torso pinned to the mahogany surface of the desk by his lover’s hand between his shoulder blades. His legs dangled in the air.

“What?” he wanted to ask but the air was caught in his lungs. 

_He can’t be serious!_ Stephen flushed crimson from the indignity of the situation he found himself in. Since his voice betrayed him, he started struggling and was ready to use his powers to get free when Lucien’s other hand began to stroke gently over his buttocks and he spoke, his voice thick with desire and admiration.

“You are so beautiful like this… My god. I adore your arse.”

Lucien’s tone made him shiver and he could breathe again. His lover’s fingers dipped between his legs and Stephen spread them a bit without conscious thought. He felt Lucien’s arousal press against him and knew Lucien had to feel his hard cock against his thigh. 

“I can’t wait to fuck you,” Lucien growled low, “but first, we should address your misbehaviour.”

The strokes became firmer, he kneaded the flesh and Stephen’s tension lessened.

“Shall we proceed?” 

It was Stephen’s way out. If he said no, he knew, Lucien would stop immediately. He loved to experiment but it had to be to the benefit of both parties. Stephen was so overwhelmed with love for him at that moment that he would do almost anything. And he _was_ curious. At least his traitorous cock was interested enough for both of them.

“Yes, my Lord,” he replied quietly and felt Lucien shudder.

The hand on his back moved to wrap around Stephen’s waist, trapping him against Lucien’s body. And _yes_ , he loved that. The feeling of utter helplessness but safety at the same time. Because he was shielded from the world and anything Lucien might inflict on him was wanted, desired, longed for. He squirmed experimentally and to his satisfaction found Lucien’s grip reliably unforgiving.

He felt the hand on his bottom move away and come down with a resounding slap. It made him yelp with surprise. The pain registered a second later: it was sharp and stinging but almost immediately began to morph into a very pleasant warmth. It was _perfection_.

Lucien waited a moment for any protests and when none came, began to spank him in earnest. Stephen loved every second of it. He rode the pain like a wave, was drawn under only to resurface again, over and over. Lucien stopped from time to time to run his fingers over the heated skin and Stephen wondered what his arse looked like. Would Lucien’s fingerprints be visible? There would most definitely be bruises tomorrow. That thought sent another jolt of arousal through his entire body.

“Please, my Lord...”

“Please what?”

“Please, more…”

“As you wish,” Lucien said and put his shoulder to it, making Stephen jolt with each impact and grind his cock against the posh fabric of Lucien’s trousers. Stephen wailed at each hit and then the wails morphed into a long scream as he came all over his lover’s thigh.

When he resurfaced again, Lucien was running soothing circles over his lower back. Stephen propped himself on his elbows and felt the muscles in his arms shake with the effort.

“Uh…” he managed.

“Well. There is the question whether you enjoyed it answered,” Lucien remarked wryly.

“I think... it has been… fairly obvious,” Stephen panted. “But you-”

“Later. I think you need a moment here. My god… I swear your arse is actually glowing…”

“It certainly feels that way,” Stephen snorted and let Lucien dote over him. It felt so good. Even his throbbing arse felt good. “God... That was… I needed that. Can we do that again? Sometime?”

Lucien hauled him up and into his arms. Stephen felt the same sense of safety there as he had felt bent over his knee. It was something to think about later.

“Oh, definitely. There is the question of my ruined trousers to address,” Lucien smirked and kissed the red curls.

Stephen smiled against his chest. “Yes, my Lord.”  
  



End file.
